


Days of Freedom

by TerriGriffith



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:08:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28122876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerriGriffith/pseuds/TerriGriffith
Summary: There were 2.5 weeks between the funeral and the Autumnal Equinox. This is an exploration of the time that Ruby and Christina spent together.
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite, Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite/William
Comments: 38
Kudos: 118





	1. Ride

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fan fic I’ve ever written.
> 
> The plan is for this to be a 4 chapter story.

The Ride

“Take me for a ride.”  
“What?”, Christina responds with a look of confusion and hopefulness. Ruby generally let’s her soul ask for what her mouth will not, but a change to verbal need was more than welcomed.  
Recognizing the look that never changed, regardless of whose face it presented itself in, Ruby clarified, “Take me for a drive in the car. You’re constantly working in this basement day and night and I’ve surprisingly run out of ways to entertain myself.”  
“Ruby, you know that you are free to take any of the vehicles whenever you like.”  
“I know, but I’m not particularly comfortable driving a car that might be worth more than I could make in a lifetime.”  
“You’re priceless.” Somehow, Christina manages to say that line with complete sincerity. It’s lines like this that simultaneously confuse and embolden Ruby. Because the way that Christina looks at her when she says them, makes Ruby know that they must be true.  
“You know, sometimes a woman wants her….”  
Christina looks at her pointedly,  
“Sometimes a woman just wants to close her eyes and let the wind flow over her face. Be free for a day.”

“Ruby considers me to be her, something. Interesting,” Christina thinks. Fine she’ll play along at this excursion despite losing precious time working on a spell for Diana with Lancaster’s blood that was somehow wasn’t needed. Lancaster must have miscalculated with his spell, not realizing that Diana would be released upon his death. Something about the circumstances of it all, the simplicity didn’t settle smoothly with Christina, but Ruby was happy that the girl was safe and increasingly Ruby’s happiness was her primary goal.

Christina puts her pencil down and looks at Ruby. Looks at her in a way that causes Ruby to internally gulp. Internally, because she’s got too much pride to let this skinny white girl know truly how much she upsets her balance. The good Lord knew she was arrogant enough.

“And where do you wish to go on this drive?” She has the gall to do the head tilt and the fucking tongue thing. Like she wanted to point out the difference between her and William’s lips. How much fuller and probably softer they were. “North, alongside the Lake perhaps?”

“No, I prefer an area where seeing a Negro outside of a maid’s uniform isn’t cause for immediate alarm. I was thinking of the lake, but in the opposite direction. The sand dunes.”

“You want to go to Indiana?” Of all the looks that Christina has sent Ruby’s way- lust, admiration, confusion, amusement, this incredulous one was new.

“Yes, Indiana. I’ve got a cousin that lives over that way and she says that she goes to the beach without too many problems.”  
“Too many?”  
“Well, it is still 1955,” Ruby says smiling. And that smile decides it all.  
“Indiana it is.”

Somehow, their driving outfits compliment each other. Christina seemed to have an endless supply of colored knit short sleeve shirts, that she loves to pair with loose fitting Capri pants. Today’s version featured a grey shirt and salmon pants. Conversely, Ruby’s material goods seem to naturally increase, in line with the time spent with Christina. Today’s dress was a light peach linen frock, with just enough cleavage to allow her girls to breathe. A hat that she does not remember buying accompanies the outfit.

“I thought you wanted to feel the wind on your face? Won’t the hat impede that pleasure?”  
They begin to walk towards the garage from inside of the house.

“I’ll take it off when I’m ready. Which car are we taking? The Pontiac gives us a convertible, but the Bentley is the Bentley.”

“There is another option.”

“Since when?”

“I was saving it as a surprise, however this seems an appropriate time to reveal……”  
Christina turns on the light and gestures toward a sleek red car that Ruby has never seen.

“What’s that?”

“They call it a 300-SL, Mercedes-Benz, built by the West Germans.”

“Red, that’s a new color for you. Did they run out of silver?”

“It’s not mine.”

Ruby turns to look at Christina. “hmm, if you plan on doing something Christina-like in this car later on, we probably shouldn’t be seen in it.” Christina sighs and then huffs. She looks at the ceiling and the ground, closes her eyes and simply says, “Ruby.”

“Noooooo.” Now Ruby has pretended not to notice how her jewelry mysteriously looks real, the dresses that appear in her closet, the wishes that come true without even asking for them. But she knows that this crazy ass white woman isn’t saying that this little red piece of heaven and hell (what it looks like and where it’s likely to send her, much like Christina herself) is hers.

“Yes, come take a look.”

“I can’t drive this car!”

“Why not? What happened to do doing whatever the fuck you want? Are you really telling me, Miss Ruby Baptiste that you don’t want to drive this magnificent car? The Ruby that I first met, the one more endowed with more natural magic than nature herself, would have demanded the keys and told everyone to get the fuck out of the way.”

“I guess you weren’t the only one in disguise that night.”

Christina has the nerve to smirk as she leads Ruby the driver’s side door. “Get in.” It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally Christina uses a certain tone with Ruby that should piss her off. A commanding, demanding tone that makes Ruby’s stomach do even stranger things around Christina than normal. She gets in the car.

Christina gives Ruby the keys and opens the garage door.  
“Go ahead, start her up.”  
“I don’t think I know how……”  
“Click the key to the right and pull out the choke. Start it up and hold the revs at 2500 to warm up the engine.” The car roars to life.  
“Back it out!”  
“You don’t think we should put the top on?”  
“No, you wanted a day of freedom, so you’re going to take a day of freedom.”

Once Ruby has cleared the garage, Christina let’s the door down. She re-enforces her protection spell and gets in the car next to Ruby. It’s the first time Ruby’s driving her and it brings a smile to both of their faces. There’s a shyness, a hesitation in Christina’s smile that Ruby finds endearing, if not a little sad. Woman has the whole damn world and doesn’t know how to smile.

“I think a horse and carriage just passed us.”

Ruby Baptiste is a lot of things-brave, fierce, intoxicating, magic, owner of the most beautiful set of breasts that Christina has ever seen, she glances at them to reaffirm, “damn,” but one thing that she definitely is not, is a driving enthusiast.”

“Come on Ruby, punch the gas, let’s see what she can really do!”  
Ruby presses the gas pedal slightly harder.  
“I never took you for a chicken….”  
Ruby presses down harder, causing Christina’s ridiculous ascot to unravel. Luckily her quick, fingers are nimble enough to catch it before it flies away. She tucks it away and only a fear of rejection stops her from covering Ruby in kisses of pride.

They stop in the second city in Indiana that they enter. The first one’s name doesn’t inspire good thoughts in Ruby, even if it fits Christina perfectly. They settle on a Baskins-Robbins 31 Flavors, which wasn’t the most original place, but Ruby liked their cherry macaron so here they are. Christina moves to get out of the car, Ruby stops her.  
“I’m treating today. What do you want?”  
Okay, Christina thinks. Somebody’s taking control. “Lemon custard.”  
“Cup or cone?”  
“Cup.”  
“Of course.”  
Watching Ruby walk to the ice cream shop more than makes up for the ice cream preference judgement of a few seconds ago.

Due to the middle of the day, during the middle of the week time, there isn’t anyone else at the shop. Ruby doesn’t know which part of her current presentation situation is most confusing to the young Mexican man covering the counter. It takes him a couple of extra seconds to find his tongue.  
He clears his throat. Ruby pushes down her sunglasses slightly.  
“May……., how can I…….yes ma’am?”  
“I’ll have two scoops of cherry macaron on a cone and two scoops of lemon custard in a cup.”  
“Yes, right right away.”  
Ruby doesn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. Both feelings tangle together, causing her to push her sunglasses all the way back up. The young man fills the cup first. Ruby looks to make sure that his, whatever has blown has mind, isn’t causing him to be chintzy with the scoops. He isn’t, so she turns her view towards Christina and the mesmerizing car that somehow is hers. The sober, reasonable side of Ruby knows that all of this is wrong and can’t possibly last. The magic, the money, ignoring societal rules. The white woman, who is sometimes a man. The Ruby Baptiste that took the secretarial and accounting classes knows all of this. But the other side of Ruby, the side that hungers for a life uninterrupted on her terms? That Ruby plans on grabbing hold to everything that Christina is willing to offer and making a world that can’t be torn from her.  
“Here you are, miss ma’am.”  
“How much?”  
“.40 cents.”  
Ruby pulls out a dollar. “Keep the change.”  
Now his eyes are wide for a different reason. Ruby grabs a spoon for Miss Conservative Cup and enough napkins for both.

Ruby walks over to an outside table.  
“You’re going to have to have eat your ice cream over here. I don’t want my beautiful seats covered in sticky cream.”  
The smirk makes another appearance. She gets out of the car and does the nonchalant hands in the pocket thing. She walks up to Ruby until they are almost breast to breast and takes the cup.  
“Thank you.”

They sit down on opposite sides of the circular table to enjoy their treat. Christina naturally attempts to make her spoon more delicate and important than its plastic origins intended, by holding it at an angle that Ruby is convinced will cause its demise. Miraculously, it survives the continued dips into the cup, connecting Christina’s lips (and tongue, always the fucking tongue) to her lemon custard.  
“How is it?” Ruby asks. “Good,” replies Christina.  
Christina doesn’t give a damn about the spoon and she doesn’t really know how her lemon custard tastes, because the things that Ruby is doing with her tongue for her cherry macaron should be illegal. Hell, probably are illegal in some of the more holy states. Her tongue dips, swirls, gathers. One second it’s completely flat, the next curled. Is she a woman or a cat? Christina feels as if her if her clit is as long and hard as William’s cock. She shifts on the circular bench, trying to relieve some of the pressure.

“What?” Christina has no idea what Ruby just said.  
“I asked what you were like as a kid.”  
Christina did not anticipate such a question. No one had ever wanted to know what her childhood was like. “Quiet, I guess. Attention starved. And yours? What was little Ruby like?”  
“A lot louder, but probably closer to yours than you think or I want to admit. Minus, the money and mansions, of course. Most of the time, it seemed like when Momma’s attention was on me, it was because mine was supposed to be on Marvin or Leti. The older I got, I started to wonder if Momma had Leti or if I had.”  
Ruby looks off in the distance, a wry look reaching her lips. She finishes her cone and uses a napkin to wipe away the residue.  
“You ready to go?”  
Christina looks down at the melted remains of her custard.  
“Yeah, I’m ready.”  
“When did you start using, yeah?”  
“I don’t know, bad influence I guess.”

Ruby waited until they were back on the road to tell Christina that a smidgen of lemon custard remained on the corner of her mouth.  
“Come here,” she says, taking her thumb and wiping away the cream. Ruby then places her thumb in her mouth. “I wanted to see what that flavor tastes like.”

They continue down 12 and 20, excitement curbed upon the realization that most of the lakefront here is covered by the heavy industrial machinery of steel mills. They choke the air with their smoke and fire. Neither Ruby or Christina are impressed. The dreariness of it all causes Ruby to increase the speed without prodding.

They finally make it to the dunes, bypassing the traditional beach option as they don’t plan on swimming. Christina keeps her disappointment at not seeing Ruby in a swimsuit to a visible minimum. They settle on an afternoon spent on a dune, overlooking the lake.

“Shit, I didn’t think this all the way through.”  
Christina raises an eyebrow, waiting for Ruby to elaborate.  
“I wanted to sit on the sand, not in the sand. We should have brought a blanket.”

Christina shakes her head at Ruby and goes to the trunk. “Do you really think that we would drive to this bastion of civilization and I wouldn’t be prepared?” She removes a blanket and basket. They approach the dunes and Ruby begins to take her shoes off.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? Sorry, but not even your magic is going to get you and those saddle shoes up the hill without a whole lot of problems. Do you really want the sand scratching between your feet and socks?”

Christina looks at Ruby without responding. She clenches her jaw, ‘the things she does for this woman.’

“Hold these please.” She hands the blanket and basket over to Ruby and removes her shoes. They make another exchange, Ruby with both pairs of shoes and Christina with the blanket and basket again. They make short work of the hill, despite the painful intentions of the colony of sticker bugs that they encounter on their way up. Christina spreads the blanket out, making sure to cover every odd sprig of beach nature that threatens a prick or scratch. She extends her hand to Ruby to assist with her descent to the blanket. Next, Christina places the basket on the side, as Ruby sits with her skirt fanned and legs partially folded under themselves.

“So Miss Braithwhite, what did you bring for our little jaunt?”

Christina, who is attempting a pose worthy of her dignity and legs, pulls out the usual picnic requirements: hard bread, cheese, grapes and a bottle of something that Ruby can’t pronounce despite several attempts.

“No, that’s not quite it, try outing your tongue between your teeth less.” The entire time, Ruby is the one laughing.  
“What?”  
“It’s just….you’re so fucking gallant.”  
Christina laughs and falls back on the blanket, placing her head behind her head.

“Oh look, a bunny!” She exclaims.  
“Where?” Ruby asks, her head twisting around to see a bunny amongst all this sand.  
“Not down here, up there.” Christina is pointing towards the clouds. Ruby shields her eyes and then puts her sunglasses back on. She tentatively lays back on the blanket, her head next to Christina’s.  
“I don’t see a bunny.”  
“He’s right there, can’t you see his floppy ears and his tail?”  
“No, what I can see is a group of tiny islands, including one that is clearly about to have a volcanic eruption. I hope the village people have escaped.”  
“Ahh, not only do you see an entire chain of islands, but a whole village that’s about to be demolished, as well?”  
“I didn’t say that I saw the village, but it reasons that there would be one.”  
“It doesn’t matter, because there’s a unicorn coming to trample their island into dust.”  
“What unicorn, oh oh, I see it. She’s beautiful.”  
The unicorn gallops across the sky, accompanied by the faint sound of the lake beneath them and the even breaths they take. For the first time in a very long time, Ruby Baptiste is relaxed. She feels Christina’s head move to slightly touch hers and they lie there silently, eyes shaded by tinted glass that gaze towards the heavens. Neither is sure how long they stay that way, but eventually their little fingers find each other. It isn’t much, but it scares both in different ways. Ruby wants to ask Christina so many questions about life, and her plans, and immortality, but instead she settles on this one.

“Doesn’t it piss you off that you need William in order for the world to respect you?”  
“You know that it does.”  
“Just not enough to do anything to change it.”  
Christina can’t see Ruby’s eyes, but she can feel the judgement. Felt it, the same way she felt it the day of that damn funeral. She slowly allows their fingers to separate.  
“How would you like me to change the world Ruby? How can I get men to see me as their equal, as their superior, because you know that I am. It can’t be money, because I’ve got more than enough for several lifetimes and that hasn’t worked. It isn’t intelligence, because we’re both smarter than the vast majority of them and all they see are bodies to cook their meals, birth their bastards and rut into. I use William’s body to take the power they keep for themselves. Do I dream about the day when I can look each of them in the eye and the let them know I’m the one with the power? Yes. But as I did with my father and his lodge, I will let them believe that I’m not playing the game at all. I thought you understood that, understood me.”

Christina begins to pack away the remains of their picnic. Ruby doesn’t assist, she looks out at the lake, remaining quiet.  
“Christina,” she begins………  
“I think we should head home, the sun’s beginning to set.”  
“Okay.”

They shuffle down the hill without speaking. Christina wordlessly provides her arm to support Ruby as she puts her shoes back on. Christina slips hers on, without the socks. The blanket and basket are placed back in the trunk.

“I’ll drive,” Christina announces. She has neither the patience nor stomach for Ruby’s tentative style of driving at the moment.

They begin their drive back to the North Side. Ruby can’t take the silence and turns the radio to WBEE-Am, the new all Negro station. She doesn’t care if Christina isn’t in the mood to listen, she is. Christina as had been her practice for the last 20 minutes, remains silent. Ruby begins to sing along with Fats Domino’s, “Ain’ that a Shame.” Christina rolls her eyes and looks in the side mirror.  
“Fuck.”  
“Four days ago, you told me you liked this song.”  
“Not the song, the police,” she says pulling over to the side of the road. Ruby turns the radio off and places her hands in her lap, looking forward.  
The officer gets out of his cruiser, tilting his back as his night stick swings from side to side.  
“Hello officer,” Christina offers.  
“You’re going a little fast there, aren’t you little lady?”  
“Apologies officer, I didn’t realize I was speeding. The car is new.”  
“Yes, quite the car isn’t it. Merkadees-what type of car is that?”  
“West German.”  
“A decade ago, we were kicking Nazi ass and now their cars are here. You should get this back to your husband, wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself driving this little thing.”

Christina has spent a lifetime swallowing her words in front of men like this. Men who think that their dicks mean that they should have power over her.

“I don’t think he’d appreciate you driving around the help in his car.” He looks at Ruby. “Bet, you’ve never been a car like this before, have you girl?”  
Christina’s lifetime of control is about to break when she hears, “Tshpebabuke labodinegu vahenmla.”  
The officer stumbles back, grabbing his eyes. “Ahh, I can’t see, I can’t fucking see!” He wanders around, heading towards the grass on the side of the road.  
Christina looks at Ruby, raising an eyebrow.  
“He was fucking up my day of freedom.”

Christina peels off, speeding down the road. She says a forgetting spell, so the cop doesn’t remember them, and Ruby turns the radio back on. They look at each other and relax. Christina’s hand shifts the car through the gears and Ruby briefly places her hand on top, rubbing and squeezing it.

Earth Angel plays on the radio as they head home.


	2. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The South Side keeps interrupting Ruby

Word reached Ruby that Diana was safe, through a hushed and rushed phone call from Leti. She didn’t have to time to ask the hows and whys of the miracle, she’d barely had time to get out, “That’s wonderful!” before the line went dead. She had attempted to call the next day to see if she could help with anything, but either no one was home, or she was being ignored. Considering that Dee had just damn near died, the latter was more likely true.  
It seemed that a line in the sand had been drawn and she was decidedly on the wrong side. That all that talk about family had been as conditional as ever. As if she hadn’t spent more time taking care of Dee than Leti and Tic combined over the years, as they wandered the world. Tic fighting a war against folks he didn’t even know and Leti doing, whatever it is that Leti does that gets herself in need of bail money.

It also seemed the South Side had chosen sides and it wasn’t hers. Ruby could feel their judgement, could hear their comments about her and that, “white man” when they thought she was out of earshot. The fact that she looked like she looked, only added more derision to the matter. “Didn’t Ruby realize that that white boy was going to dump her right back in the ditch he’d found her in, once he got tired of fucking her?” (Never mind that Ruby Baptiste had never been in anyone’s ditch) They talked a whole lot of shit, but none of them refused her money. The whispers had gotten so bad that Ruby had taken to paying Joanne a little extra to do her hair before the shop opened.

The only place that seemed to be judgement free was Sammy’s, which considering his relationship (like Ruby didn’t know) with Montrose’s hateful ass, was a little ironic. In spite of, or perhaps because of his messy entanglement, Sammy didn’t judge. “Honey, do you,” he’d say, pointing out that none of the people judging her paid her bills or wiped her ass. Besides, most of them were hiding things they didn’t want people knowing about. (Everybody knew)  
Sister Thompson was having an affair with Deacon Walker, right under his wife’s nose, even had the nerve to sit on the Bereavement Board with her. The entire neighborhood was pretending not to notice that Joanne’s youngest boy wasn’t her husbands, but instead that slick talking Willie Johnson’s. Alan Jacobs might be able to get you a good rate on your policy, but you’d better hope that he was sober when he formally wrote it up. All the holy rollers didn’t seem to have a problem putting their gigs in and dancing the night away at Sammy’s, but during the daytime they were veritable saints.

All of this was how Ruby found herself having a light cocktail at 4 in the afternoon. Ruby Baptiste was not an afternoon drinker. (Wine on a sand dune with her downfall didn’t count) She had to admit that she was in a sorry state. Even sorrier than usual, because Sammy wasn’t tending bar and had left his cousin Roy in charge. If Sammy was bright and breezy, Roy was dull and lifeless. It was like life had given him a pleasant face and decided that was enough. Ruby looked at Roy, looked at the regular drunks that hung on the stools and then looked at herself in the mirror behind the bar. Time to go.

She stops next door at Delia’s for fried chicken. Christina has made it clear that she has run of the house, but it just doesn’t feel right, frying chicken in that prissy kitchen. Jessie, the new dumb and young cook wants to know Ruby still has to buy her chicken on the South Side. Ruby holds her peace, this stupid girl isn’t worth it.

Ruby never mentions her white “man”, yet people keep acting as if she’s rubbing something in their face by having a few extra dollars that she’s willing to spend with them. If she really wanted to brag, she would have driven down in the Pontiac (She wasn’t quite ready to spring the Mercedes on the world), but she was trying to show that she was like everybody else, so she took the L and the bus. “That’s the last time I do that,” she thinks. Here she was tired and hot from walking when she could have been relaxed and comfortable driving. Blessedly, the trip home is uneventful. The L is near empty and no man, white or black offers to make her his dinner for the evening.

Ruby opens the gate, then the front door. Using the side door seems more practical, but Christina demands she use the front to disabuse the idea that Ruby is anything but a resident of this home. That she damn sure isn’t the maid. To her surprise, Christina is sitting in the living room reading, when she enters.

“Good evening, how was your day?”

“It was a day, much like every other day.”

Ruby took her plate into the kitchen and placed it into the icebox.

“I’m surprised to see you. Seems like you’ve been spending every waking hour in the basement since our little journey.”

“The equinox is approaching quickly, I have to make sure that everything is just right.”

“And our trip took away time from that, right? Took time away from your real plans?”

“I didn’t say that, I enjoyed our day together tremendously.” Christina slants her head trying to understand what is going on with Ruby. Usually, her bad attitude makes Christina’s day. But it isn’t the same when Ruby’s attitude comes from genuine distress and pain.

Christina folds the newspaper and places it on the side of the sofa. She scoots over, to make sure that there is enough room for both of them. She’s more than willing to sit on Ruby’s lap if necessary, but she doesn’t think this is a good time for that proposition. “Ruby, please,” she says gesturing next to her. Ruby sits down, hands in lap while her face does that thing that causes her right eyebrow to rise and her nostrils to flare. It’s adorable, another thought Christina will keep to herself.

“What happened today? Where did you go?”

“I was tired of being in this house by myself, so I went to the South Side.”  
“Your hair looks lovely.”

“Thank you.”

“You went to the South Side, and……? Did you get into a fight with Letitia?”

“No, she’s avoiding me.”

“Did you have a disagreement with someone else?”

“They’re all so fucking judgmental. Even when they aren’t saying anything, I can feel their looks. The snide ass remarks in their heads. Just waiting on me to get out the door so they can talk.”

“They’re judging you for William?”

Ruby looks at Christina as if to say, really?

“You can tell them that you’re living with me instead.”

“Be serious,” Ruby says slapping Christina’s arm. “They’d go from silent judgement to tar and feathering me if they knew about this. Us.”

Christina wants desperately to ask what, this and us is, but she doesn’t. “Did you at least take the car, so that you could escape in a more comfortable manner?”

“No.”

“Ruby, why do you insist upon taking public transportation, when you have three cars at your disposal? I assume that your feet are tired?” Ruby just looks at her. “You know what to do.”  
One of Ruby’s favorite things about William is his attention to her physical detail. The first time he had rubbed her feet after they had sex on the stairs, had been almost as mind blowing as the sex act. It had become a thing, but only when Christina was William. Christina can see Ruby’s hesitancy. “Would you prefer William?”

Ruby answers the question, by slipping her feet out of her shoes, and placing them in Christina’s lap. Her hands are as devastatingly wonderous as William’s. Christina seems to be able to pull all of the ache, tiredness and strife from feet that have shouldered Ruby’s journey today. Ruby lays her arm on top of the sofa, looking solely at Christina as she performs miracles. Ruby knows that this another strike against the delicate separation that she maintains between Christina and William. William the lover and Christina the…...the what? Partner, confidante, housemate? Friend?

“Fuck.” Ruby’s thoughts are interrupted by a pressure point move to her foot that was damn near orgasmic. She looks at her foot and then looks back at Christina, who smiles knowingly.

“Where did you learn how to do this,” Ruby asks, her hand motioning towards her feet in Christina’s lap.

“I went to all girls boarding school. There was a lot quiet time, without much to do, so I learned a new hobby.” Christina continues to rub until Ruby has almost fallen asleep. “Better?” Ruby can only nod her head in acknowledgment. Attempts at speaking would only result in moaning, which considering the confusion swirling around in her head wasn’t the most prudent action right now.

Christina lifts Ruby’s legs and places her feet back on the ground. She goes to the side washroom and washes her hands, returning to the couch.

“It’s unfortunate that the small minds on the South Side make you unhappy. I think this is the part where I’m supposed to be amiable and suggest that you return there, that you choose to be Leti’s protector again, over your own desires and needs. I can’t and won’t do that Ruby.” Christina bites her lip. “I want you here for as long as you want to be here, doing whatever you want to do. However, it’s time to have a conversation with your sister. A real conversation.”

The next day found her standing outside of what was supposed to be her house, but was really Leti’s, as it had always been. She’d saved her feet and driven the Pontiac. This was going to be hard enough without Leti and everyone else in the house seeing her new car. Ruby thought about knocking, but then thought better of it. Maybe if she acted as if things hadn’t changed that much, the conversation would go better.

Ruby stepped into the house, which was unusually quiet. She checked the living room and the kitchen, no Leti. She went to Leti’s room and knocked on the closed door. No answer. A door down the hall opened, and Katie stuck her head out. She was one of the boarders that moved in after Leti’s artist “friends” had moved out.

“Hey there Ruby, haven’t seen you in a while.” 

“Hi Katie, I’ve been around. Have you seen Leti?”

“I think she’s over to Hippolyta’s. Her and Tic have been spending a lot of time over there lately.”

Ruby thanks Katie and drives over to Hippolyta’s place. This will give her an opportunity to see how Dee is doing and to hash out all of this anger and tension. If Leti will just listen to her, she knows they can find a way to stop all of this craziness.   
Despite its clean window, the travel agency seems to be closed. Ruby rings the bell for upstairs. In earlier times, someone would have looked out the window and told her to come up. Today, there is no look out the window and not invitation to visit. Leti appears at the door. She comes out to the sidewalk, making sure that not only can Ruby not come upstairs, that she isn’t allowed to see the stairwell.

“Leti, what the hell is going on? I came to talk to you and to see how Dee is doing.”

“Dee is okay, and we can talk fine out here.”

“A short while ago, you were preaching to me about family. Is this how you treat family, Leti? You leave them on the street like this? Refuse to answer their phone calls?”

“You made your decision when you decided to leave with Christina, Ruby. Goodbye and be careful.” She does not look Ruby in the eye when she says this. She goes back into the building, making sure that the door is locked. If Ruby’s eyes don’t deceive her, it looks as if there’s a new protection spell here. Ruby is just as blocked as Christina.

Ruby spends the drive home, trying to stop her tears from blinding her and causing her to crash. She can only imagine what Leti would say about that. “It’s her own fault. I tried to warn her.” Ruby can hear her now. Somehow, she makes it home. As she pulls into the driveway, she sees an unfamiliar site. A Negro yardman across the street. He sees her and stops what he’s doing to come over to her. 

“Excuse me ma’am.” Ruby turns towards him and places a smile. Just because she’s having a hard day, doesn’t mean that she should take it out on this poor fellow. “I just wanted to say to thank you again for the opportunity. I really appreciate it.” Ruby has no idea what this man is talking about. “You’re welcome, but I don’t know what you’re referring to.” “Your husband hired me for your lawncare and recommended me to the folks across the street. Seems as if he wasn’t happy with the previous service and neither were they. Doing work in this neighborhood sure is going to help my business grow. Anyway, thank you again and you take care.” The man walks back across the street, continuing his work.

Ruby enters the house dumbfounded. They’d never discussed the confrontation from that day. They’d used different methods to settle Ruby’s nerves.

“Christina!” Ruby yells. She was tired of looking for people today. To her surprise, William answers. “Yes,” he says rolling down his sleeves. “Is something wrong, you don’t generally yell my name through the house.”

Ruby looks at William and sees Christina. The way he stands, the way he looks at her, the way he rubs her feet and gets rid of racist assholes who make her life more difficult. All Christina. She walks to William, whose look of complete confusion is completely adorable and kisses him. Mouth open, tongue swirling, like his mouth was her favorite flavor of ice cream. She licks the sides of his mouth, pulls at his lips with her teeth. After a moment of shock, William joins in. Not sure of what’s happening, but more than willing to help Ruby with whatever this is. Ruby takes his hand and leads him upstairs. She’s trying to decide if she wants her bedroom or Christina’s. She chooses Christina’s, no headboard to get in the way.

William continues his assault on Ruby’s neck as they stumble into Christina’s room. He doesn’t have a chance to unbutton his shirt because Ruby does it for him. Pearl buttons scatter to the corners. Oh well, it was time to purchase a new one anyway. She strips out of her blouse and skirt, leaving herself clothed only in her undergarments. Ruby’s breast are too wonderous to be contained by the bullet bra, which makes it easier for William to caress them. Ruby taking off her bra all, makes it even easier. Ruby is topless, with her panties, garters and stockings on. William still has on pants, which doesn’t seem fair to Ruby. “Get rid of the pants,” she orders, going to sit down at the vanity. (How she didn’t notice the vanity originally would was a question she could never answer) William takes his time, undoing first his belt and then his trousers. He slips his summer loafers (nobody seemed to notice that they were Christina’s) off and lets his trousers drop to the floor. He stands before Ruby, clad in his boxers, which were pink striped. Where in the world had Christina found pink stripped boxers?

“Take off the boxers and lie back on the bed,” Ruby commands, still seated. William does as ordered. Ruby walks over to the bed and looks down at William. “Touch yourself.” William looks at Ruby as if he didn’t hear her correctly. “I said, touch yourself.” William reaches over, touches his arm and smirks. Definitely Christina. Ruby is not amused, which William can see. He takes his right hand and grabs his dick. “I want to watch you cum,” she says as she begins to remove her panties. She pulls them down and they land in William’s mouth. After inhaling them, he places them on the top of his head. Next go her garter and nylons. She looks over at William, who really should be further along at this point.

“You really are a dyke, cause you’re not very good at this.” She gets on the bed, pushing William’s hands to the side and replacing them with her mouth. She bobs up and down on his cock, plopping the head in and out of her mouth. She plays with his sack, manipulating it as she gives William the best blow job that Christina has ever had. (And she’s had her fair share) Ruby can feel him getting close, stops and sits up. “Ruby baby, you can’t stop now,” William begs. 

Christina doesn’t know how to describe the sensation she has when she’s using William’s cock, just that it feels a part of her. A part of her that needs to explode right now. Ruby looks down at William, in such obvious need and climbs on top of him, each knee pressed into the bed. She settles down and begins to ride. She occasionally squeezes his balls, to stop him from cumming as she needs this last. William rubs her clit with his thumb, spiraling towards something that she can’t fully understand, but knowing that they both need to find it. Ruby finds it and after a few extra minutes, William does as well. She collapses on top of him, exhausted but completely relaxed. Unlike others before, William relishes feeling the weight of Ruby on top of him. He takes a hand and brushes a hair to the side. So much for her fresh hairdo. Ruby settles to the side and they turn to look at each other.

“Do you feel better?” William asks.

“Yes.”

“Can I ask what that was about? I enjoyed it tremendously, but…”

“No.”

Ruby begins to drift to sleep as William continues to lie still, looking at her. Eventually, Christina tires of this other body and even though she knows that it means that she’ll no longer be able to lay besides Ruby she causes the metamorphosis, back to herself. After cleaning up, she slips on her robe, which still smells like Ruby and stares at her from the door frame. Ruby has slipped on a nightgown while Christina cleansed herself. Christina begins to turn away to head to the basement.

“Where are you going,” Ruby asks raising her head slightly.

“I was going to go to the basement.”

Ruby reaches out her hand, “come here.” She pulls Christina into the bed, where they lay silently staring at each other. Eventually, Christina falls asleep curled next to Ruby. Ruby absently plays in Christina’s hair as she wonders where all of this going and how it’s going to end.


	3. Lemon Pound Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Ruby and Christina handle the new aspect of their relationship?

Things that had not been discussed in the Braithwhite-Baptiste household since “that” night: The South Side and anyone associated with said Side, yard men and most importantly-Christina and Ruby sharing a bed as themselves.

Christina had awakened before Ruby (as always) to find her head snuggled against Ruby’s bosom and her arm thrown across Ruby’s torso. It was by far, the best awakening she’s ever had. She wanted to stay by Ruby’s side longer, watch her eyes open to the recognition of a new day, but fear of what those eyes might reveal had caused her to leave as the sun rose. She couldn’t take it if Ruby’s eyes held regret about the night before, about sharing the bed with Christina. She’d never thought herself a coward before, but she ran to the safety of the basement that morning.

“Christina Braithwhite is a coward,” was Ruby’s first thought as she woke up alone. Again. She didn’t have the answers to what this meant or where it was headed, but she knew that the answer wouldn’t be found in that damn basement.

That day was spent at an impasse. Their interactions were polite and short. They ate lunch and dinner in silence, the length of the dining room table providing Christina with the physical protection to not talk. The only time they said anything other than; yes, no, and thank you was during Ruby’s daily magic lesson. Even as she gave the lesson and encouraged Ruby’s progress, Christina maintained her distance.

Well, if Christina wasn’t going to spend her time worrying about their relationship, neither was Ruby. She sent Rebecca, the world’s quietest maid, to the grocer. Ruby spent the rest of the day cooking, including the friend chicken that she had been denying herself. She certainly wasn’t going back to Delia’s and besides, hers was better. She needed to re-establish a sense of normalcy into her world. She’d been surprised to find the cake pan tucked away in the cabinets last week. Just thinking about Christina attempting to bake, brought about laughter. Ruby turned on the radio and proceeded to make her famous lemon pound cake.

Although she couldn’t hear the words, Christina could hear the beat from the radio downstairs and Ruby’s movements. The noise provided a soothing balm to her studies and provided a brief respite from thinking about her relationship with Ruby.

There were two things on Ruby’s mind as she entered the house the next day, one that she hoped Christina would like her gift and two, that she couldn’t wait to have a piece of chicken and a slice of cake. Some might suggest that those two things didn’t go together…. those people were wrong. Ruby walked into her room, placing the package into the closet and admired her wardrobe. Pride told her to refuse Christina’s gifts, to send away the fabric samples that showed up in the library. But Christina kept reminding her that she deserved beautiful things, so she kept them. Ruby was aware that she allowed Christina to give her permission to do things she really wanted to do but held guilt about. One day, and soon she would have to take ownership of all her decisions.

Ruby headed downstairs for her afternoon snack. She opened the icebox, only to discover that her chicken was gone. The plate was gone, the smell was gone, only an empty spot where it had been placed, remained. Ruby looked over to the place where the cake container was last located. It was still there, but what had once been a full cake, was now down to three pieces. There were only three people in this house and she practically had to be beg Rebecca to try the cake yesterday, which only left Christina as the cake demolisher and chicken stealer. Skinny ass Christina who looked like she existed on air, was able to eat damn near an entire cake and three wings? Of course, she could.

Ruby debated between going to the basement to confront the ravenous blond or simply yelling her name through the house. (She got a special thrill yelling through the staid manner, as if she could singlehandedly bring it to life) She settled between them both, by going to the top of the basement stairs and yelling Christina’s name. Ruby can hear the moment Christina stops turning the pages of whatever book she’s reading or journal she’s writing in. She can feel Christina contemplating waiting her out to see if she plans on coming down the stairs. Finally, she hears the stool move backwards on the stone floor. Ruby moves to the kitchen and Christina appears before her, head cocked attempting to look dominating, but really appearing wary.

“Yes?”

“Ummm, did you enjoy the cake?” This is not what Ruby planned. (She had no plan) Christina looks at her as if she has lost her mind. “You ate a lot of the cake; I’m assuming that you enjoyed it.”

“Yes, I enjoyed it.”

“And the chicken, did you enjoy that as well?”

“Yes, I enjoyed the chicken.” Christina was sure that Ruby was going to launch into a tirade about the missing food, about not talking to her. But instead, she was asking questions as if she were the host of the, “64,000 Question,” which Christina knew was on tonight because Ruby had watched it every week since it premiered.

“You know the cake should have lasted at least 5 days.”

“Apologies, I wasn’t aware. Would you like for me to bake you a new one?” There is silence, followed by laughter from both.

“No, but you do deserve to be punished.”

This was getting interesting. “If you insist. What manner of punishment do you planning on exacting?” Christina asks, as she invades Ruby’s personal space.

“You have to spend the evening with me. Doing what I want.”

“Which is?”

“Were going to watch the new color television that I told you was not necessary.”

Christina doesn’t bother to hide her disappointment. Of all the ways she dreamed of being punished by Ruby, television watching was not one.

Ruby was determined to make the evening an in-house date night. She would pop popcorn and make sure that two bottles of Coca-Cola were ice cold. She’d ignored the stares at the local candy store, as she made selections for the evening. (Negro women shopping without maid’s uniforms on really made people uncomfortable) She didn’t know what type of candy Christina liked, but if the cake was any indication, lemon was a safe choice. She also chose Raisinets for herself.

After dinner, she didn’t complain when Christina headed back to work in the basement. Ruby wasn’t completely unreasonable. Their agreement was for 9 p.m. Christina arrived promptly at 8:55. Ruby had set out a tray that Christina wasn’t aware that she owned in front of the sofa, with the bowl of popcorn on top. She went to the kitchen and brought out the bottles of Coke, with the tops removed. Next she presented various candy options including, Raisinets and Lemonheads.

“On what channel is this program broadcast?” Christina asked?

“Two.”

Christina turned the knob and the program began. She walked to the sofa and sat next to Ruby, who already had her hand in the popcorn. “Don’t worry, I have napkins.”

Tonight’s episode had two contestants marching towards the $64,000 question having earned $2,000 in the previous episode. After too much conversation between the host and the contestant, Christina learned that Mrs. Beckman’s category was Shakespeare. A lifetime of boarding schools and boredom left Christina confident on her chances for this round.

“How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?” This was shockingly easy. “154,” Christina answered, getting her own handful of popcorn.

“Which two Shakespeare plays are written entirely in verse?” “Richard II and King John. I thought this was supposed to be a challenging, Ruby.” Ruby throws popcorn her way. “Oops.”

“What was Shakespeare’s mother’s name?” Christina’s eyes squint and she purses her lips. “I know this.”

“Uh huh. Mary Arden,” Ruby answers. “Mary Arden,” the contestant confirms. Christina looks at the television and then at Ruby. She crosses her legs.

“Which street in Stratford had the reputation of being one of the deadliest streets in the world due to its high level of ghostly activity?” If there ever was a question that Christina should know the answer to, it was this one. She takes a sip of her Coca-Cola and contemplates.

“Time is running out Christina.” Her crossed leg twitched up and down. “I think the answer that you’re looking for, is Sheep Street.” Ruby says it with a certain shake of the head, a neck twirl that seems to say, “hmpf.” Christina takes it all in, the confidence, the preparations for the date, the breasts. It takes all her strength not to pull Ruby into her embrace and have her way with her on this couch, tray and snacks be damned. Instead she finishes off her Coke.

The next set of questions concern Sherlock Holmes. Neither is interested in the category and they agree to turn the television off for the night.

“I guess you’re headed back to the basement,” Ruby says taking the empty bottles into the kitchen.

“I don’t have to, I finished up for the night.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

“I want you to play something for me. You’ve been hiding your real magic from me, Ruby Baptiste and it’s not right. And I have a specific request.”

“If it’s Mr. Sandman, I’m leaving.”

“Very funny. I want the one and only, Ruby Baptiste to perform for me, this evening in this sitting room, Ma Rainey’s Prove It On Me Blues.”

“How do you know that song?”

“I’ve been around. And please don’t act like you don’t know the words.”

Ruby heads upstairs to get her guitar and Christina removes the tray and places the bowl of popcorn on the floor. Ruby comes back with an item in both hands, one her guitar, the other a box. She places the box on the settee across the room.

“What’s that?” Christina asks, gesturing towards the box.

“You’ll find out.”

Ruby sits on the sofa and begins to tune the guitar. Christina plucks a red lily from one of the flower arrangements in the room and places it in Ruby’s hair, the stem behind her ear.

“Feeling sentimental, are we?” Ruby asks as she finishes tuning.

“Perhaps.” Christina settles on the floor. She looks up at Ruby with a mixture of love, awe and wanting. She strokes Ruby’s foot. “Are you going to sing, or what?”

"Went out last night, had a great big fight  
Everything seemed to go on wrong  
I looked up, to my surprise  
The gal I was with was gone.

Christina continued to stroke Ruby’s foot.

Where she went, I don't know  
I mean to follow everywhere she goes;  
Folks say I'm crooked. I didn't know where she took it  
I want the whole world to know.

Christina’s hand began to stroke Ruby’s calf.

They say I do it, ain't nobody caught me  
Sure got to prove it on me;  
Went out last night with a crowd of my friends,  
They must've been women, 'cause I don't like no men.

Christina’s other hand joined in, as she locked eyes with Ruby.

It's true I wear a collar and a tie,  
Makes the wind blow all the while  
Don't you say I do it, ain't nobody caught me  
You sure got to prove it on me.

Say I do it, ain't nobody caught me  
Sure got to prove it on me.

Ruby found herself shifting on the couch, as a sudden discomfort had appeared in her nether regions.

I went out last night with a crowd of my friends,  
It must've been women, 'cause I don't like no men.  
Wear my clothes just like a fan  
Talk to the gals just like any old man

Cause they say I do it, ain't nobody caught me  
Sure got to prove it on me.”

“That was wonderful,” Christina says as her fingers begin to crawl higher.

“Thank you,” Ruby says, getting up from the sofa. Who’s running now, Christina thinks. Ruby heads to the settee and brings the box over. “This is for you. And no, it’s not a maid’s uniform.”

Christina breaks out into a grin and opens the box. Inside was a beautiful black silk dress and coat, with a gold print. It was nothing like anything she owned. The fact that Ruby had taken the time and effort to pick an outfit for Christina meant the world to her. She rose and slowly hugged Ruby. It felt like she had found a lifeline that she didn’t know she needed, and now that found it, she was going to hold on like her life depended on it.

Christina held Ruby so tightly that if felt as if they were breathing as one. Their heartbeats certainly seemed to share the same beat. Neither was sure how long they stay embraced, nor could either say how the radio began. Why, “Only You” by the Platters was playing on the radio at this exact moment, they didn’t know. How they started swaying side to side, with Ruby’s head on Christina’s shoulder was a question that even the contestants on the $64,000 Question couldn’t answer. They held each other through, “You Upset Me Baby” and some other hokey song that they did not recognize.

Christina could feel her control slipping and she didn’t want to do anything to mess up this night, so she regretfully pulled herself away from Ruby.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening, Miss Baptiste. I hope that we can do it again.”

“How about a movie tomorrow night? We can go to the drive-in.”

Christina lingers in the door frame. “Until tomorrow, Ms. Baptiste. Until tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this was a struggle to write. Hopefully, it isn't a struggle to read.


	4. Ascension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Autumnal Equinox approaches, choices have to be made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my world, the last 30 minutes of Lovecraft Country didn't happen. Nope, not all.

The arrogance of man caused him to believe that he had the authority to tell his client what to do with her property and money. That she was incapable of making a sound decision, that she was somehow confused and misled, by an outside force. A force that was intelligent enough to charm her into signing over property and money, but not intelligent enough to manage either. It was that last comment, that “Ruby’s limited intelligence would cause her to lose the house in a year,” which caused Christina to threaten her lawyer with immediate termination. He’d stood there, surprised that she would even contemplate such a thing. The fact that he didn’t know her well enough to immediately understand that she would dismiss him, was more than enough proof that he needed to be removed. The comments about Ruby meant that it would happen soon. He would remain now as she needed the changes filled quickly. However, after the equinox, he would be fired.

Christina was late. Which was annoying as hell because Ruby thought they were done playing games. Thought that they were moving towards something real. Yet here she was, sitting in this empty house, pretending that she wasn’t looking out the window while waiting on Christina for a date that she had asked for! Ruby knew that Christina wasn’t your average woman, that her mind and emotions were unlike anyone she had ever met. That was part of the attraction (and she finally admitted to herself that she was attracted to Christina.) She was like a puzzle, whose pieces required solving before they could be placed. But even puzzles should be on time.

Ruby heard the car door close, (Bentley doors didn’t slam) and quickly went to the sofa to look as casual as possible. She didn’t want to give Christina the satisfaction of knowing that she had been waiting for her. Where was a magazine when she needed one?

Ruby heard the front door open and settled further back onto the sofa.

“Ruby, I know, and I apologize. I had to take care of incredibly important business that ran later than I anticipated.”

“Something to do with the equinox, I presume.”

“Yes, something I needed to take care of before the equinox.” Christina places her purse on the entryway table. “I hope my lateness hasn’t caused you to reconsider our plans for the evening. I’ve been looking forward to it all day, and I hoped that you had as well.” Christina’s face is a perfect image of wanting and innocence. Ruby doesn’t know how she manages to mix both at the same time.

“Are you going to wear that?” Ruby’s dour face indicates that does not consider Christina’s starched business suit skirt to be acceptable date attire.

“If you allow me five minutes to change, I can do better. I promise.”

Christina hurried upstairs to change into something more to Ruby’s liking. She settled for a black jumpsuit, accented by white on the pockets. She’s forgotten her purse downstairs, but figures that a smaller handbag would more appropriate. When she returns to the sitting room, Ruby is sitting casually, reading Ebony magazine.

“Interesting reading?” Christina asks, hoping that Ruby is still in the mood for the movie.

“Just reading about Negro progress in this country. It’s published here in Chicago.” Ruby places the magazine on the coffee table. “If we’re going, let’s go.” Christina smiles as she watches Ruby switch away from her and head to the car.

“Do you have a drive-in preference,” Christina asks after both are in the car.

“The Double Drive-In on 74th and Western is showing a double feature of East of Eden and Love is a Many Splendored Thing. I’ve seen part of East of Eden, but I would like to see the ending.”

“I haven’t seen it,” Christina says backing out of the drive.

“That’s not surprising.” Christina throws Ruby a look. “All magic and no play, make Christina an uninformed girl.”

They make it to the drive-in as the fourth cartoon plays.

“This is what I’ve been missing,” Christina asks gesturing towards the screen.

“The real movies will begin shortly. Grab the speaker and place it on the window, that’s how we hear.”

“I’m acquainted with how this works, Ruby.”

“You’ve been to the drive-in before?” Ruby is in disbelief.

“No, but I know how this works.”

“As I thought. Seeing how this is your first time, I want you to get the full experience. What do you want from the concession stand? They’ve got hotdogs, popcorn, candy, a pretzel… a corn dog! I know you want a corn dog, Christina. I can see it in your eyes.”

“You think that’s what my eyes are saying right now?” Christina is trying to keep a straight face through this exchange.

“Not just saying, screaming. Corn dog! Corn dog!”

They both descended into a fit of giggles. Before meeting Ruby, Christina hadn’t giggled since her mother’s death. Samuel certainly discourage activities that resulted in merriment. He’d successfully scrubbed her free of frivolous concerns by the time she was sent to boarding school. Even when she was sparked to joy, she was careful to temper her emotions, less her actions be reported back to him. By the time she figured out that he didn’t care about her actions (as long as they didn’t embarrass him) she had already built a wall of steel around herself.

Their laughter must have carried because Christina noticed the car next to them looking. She waved as the couple pretended to not get caught looking.

“By the way Ruby, what in the hell is a corn dog?”

Ruby returned from the concession stand with hotdogs wrapped in foil, a box of Cracker Jack and two bottles of pop. As East of Eden began, Ruby marveled over the fact that she was sitting in a Bentley at a drive-in with a rich white woman who literally practiced magic.

As the movie progressed, Ruby realized that East of Eden wasn’t the best choice of movies for their date night. She could feel the tension from Christina every time Adam rejected Cal. Hell, the movie brought unhappy memories of Eloise too. She had wanted this evening to be lighthearted, to try and show Christina that she could be happy doing normal, simple things. Instead, they were both thrown into an emotional rollercoaster.

“That was stupid.”

“What was stupid, Christina? The movie?”

“Cal spent his entire life trying to get his father to love him. He makes himself successful, without his father’s help and what does he do in the end? He sacrifices himself and his future to take care of a pathetic religious zealot who only reached out to him, because he had other choice. He should have left.”

“Like you did?”

“Yes, I eventually saw the truth and realized that doing my father’s biding was a waste of time.”

Ruby is silent for a moment, before speaking again. “I didn’t leave my mother, even though I wanted to a thousand times. Be free and do my own thing like Leti, does that make me stupid?”

Christina turns fully towards Ruby and takes her hands in hers, “No it makes you someone who loved someone too much. The world doesn’t support or appreciate dutiful daughters. You deserve to live on your own terms Ruby, fuck what the world says you’re supposed to do or be.”

Christina can feel eyes on them again. She says words in Adam. “What was that,” Ruby asks.

“We had an audience. I enacted a glamour to give us privacy.”

“You don’t want people to see you holding my hand, Christina?”

“It was for your benefit Ruby. If you’d let me, I’d make love to you in front the entire world.”

Ruby knows that Christina isn’t waxing poetic by the intensity of her eyes, which seem to have darken two shades. She knows that this is the moment that she needs to sit in this space with Christina, fully acknowledge and understand what this is, what they are. She excuses herself to go to the restroom.

Ruby returns to the car, as the second film begins.

“Did I miss anything?”

“You missed a hotdog doing backflips into a bun. The tension on whether he would continue to land in the bun was enthralling.” Ruby shakes her head and playfully rolls her eyes.

Ruby was batting 0-2 for movies tonight. Love is a Many-Splendored Thing hit too close to home, as well. An interracial relationship that faced societal disapproval. The middle of the film found Ruby’s head on Christina’s shoulder, which was surprisingly supportive considering her size. The end of the film found Christina dabbing away Ruby’s tears as Han Suyin learned of Mark’s death.

“This isn’t the way I planned on this evening ending,” Ruby said as she put the speaker back on the stand and tried to compose herself. Christina did the same and started the car. After a few minutes, Ruby noticed that they were not heading towards home.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to drive until you shake off that sad ass movie.” Christina heads pass Solider Field and turns the radio to Ruby’s favorite, WBEE-AM and begins to sing, slightly off key,

“Well... I got a woman, way over town

She's good to me, oh yeah

Said I got a woman, way over town

She's good to me, oh yeah

She gives me money when I'm in need

Yeah, she's a kind of friend indeed

I got a woman, way over town

She's good to me, oh yeah……”

“And how do you know Ray Charles, Christina?”

“I told you I’ve been places. Do you have an issue with me singing it? I know I don’t compare to you, but I didn’t think I was that bad.”

"Christina baby, you should sing whatever what you want. But I think that song is more appropriate for me.” Ruby interlaces her fingers with Christina’s free hand.

It all hits Christina at once, Ruby calling her baby, the words from the song, their hands touching. Her heart feels as if it’s going to jump out of her body. Just as it begins to settle, Ruby yells, “watch out!” 

“Fuck,” Christina exclaims as she swerves the wheel to avoid hitting a man standing in the middle of the street. Where the fuck did, he come from? She feels herself fly through windshield onto the grass, with the stadium lit behind her destroyed car. Her first thoughts are immediately of Ruby, who blessedly looks unharmed. She staggers to the street, where she discovers that another Braithwhite male has ruined her night.

Christina has managed to be both incredibly attentive and distracted at the same time. She insisted on calling a private doctor to the house to ensure that Ruby wasn’t injured from the accident. Outside of being a bit sore, she wasn’t. Christina concocted some potion to pour into her bath to make sure that soreness went away. Ruby thought Epsom salt would have provided the same results, but she kept the thought to herself. If Christina wanted to fuss over her, she’d let her. Not allowing her to do so, would probably cause more issues than the stinky potion did.

If Christina wasn’t asking Ruby how she was feeling or offering to have Rebecca cook or go get Ruby’s favorites, she was in the basement. Even when she was attentive, Ruby could tell that there was something on her mind that she couldn’t settle. She asked Christina if there was something she could help with, but Christina told her to focus on healing. She asked if she heard right when Christina had called the idiot that appeared in the middle of the street, Titus. Christina confirmed that she had and then refused to say any more about the subject. She’d already told her that backstory of Titus Braithwhite and how he fit in with Tic and magic, so she didn’t understand why Christina was holding back now. She wanted to be understanding, but they were running out of time. She’d get the truth out of Christina, one way or another.

Good old uncle Titus had ruined both Christina’s date night and her car, but he had revealed one important piece of information. Atticus and Letitia had the Book of Names. Which would explain Diana’s miraculous recovery. How stupid she had been not to investigate Diana’s recovery more fully. She’d bristled when Titus referred to Atticus and his family as niggers, which was new for her. She’d never used it herself, but until recently others using it had never bothered her. The discomfort of its usage in her presence was the bare minimum of what Ruby had asked her for, but it was a start.

Christina went over her spell again and again, attempting to find a way to avoid sacrificing Atticus. She knew that it wasn’t a popular choice with Ruby, even if she hadn’t said so. The only other option lay in the powerful knowledge found in the Book of Names. She would just have to ask Atticus for it. Surely, he would prefer handing over the book rather than dying. Part of her wanted to ask Ruby’s opinion on how to approach Atticus, Leti, the group. But she had vowed to keep Ruby out of all this, and she intended on keeping her vow. She decided to keep Ruby close by wearing the black and gold silk outfit that she bought for her.

Of all the things she never pictured growing up, being waited on be a silent white woman was high on the list. Rebecca only asked questions that required a yes or no, as if she were afraid that anything else would result in a conversation. Ruby wasn’t particularly sore from the accident, she could concede that Christina’s potion had worked. Her lack of soreness didn’t mean that she was ready to deal with the world however and she found herself secluded to her bedroom for most of the day. Her self-imposed seclusion was the reason that she didn’t notice that Christina was wearing her outfit until she was half asleep.

“You’re wearing my outfit without me, that’s not fair,” Ruby says sitting up in the bed. She had given up on seeing Christina for the rest of the evening, assuming that she was locked in the basement formalizing her plans.

“Are you feeling okay, not too sore,” Christina asks as she moves from leaning in the doorway to entering Ruby’s room.

“I feel fine, I ‘guess’ your potion helped. What’s wrong and why are you standing over there?”

Christina moves towards Ruby’s bed. Outside of last night when she helped Ruby from the accident, she hasn’t been Ruby’s bedroom. She was waiting for an invitation that hadn’t been extended. “I wore this tonight, because I wanted to feel you close to me while I did something.”

“What did you do Christina?”

“I went to the Hippolyta's and asked Atticus for the Book of Names.”

“When did he get the Book of Names?”

“Two days after the funeral. That’s how Diana was healed, with the Book.”

“Was Atticus alone?”

“No, everyone was there: Atticus, his father, Hippolyta, your sister.”

“So Leti knows about the Book and they used it to heal Dee. I guess that explains why they didn’t want me knowing about Dee. Another secret that I can’t be trusted to know. Why do you need the Book, Christina?”

“If I have the Book, I won’t need Atticus’s blood. My spell only calls for his blood, because I can’t find the true ritual, the real power.”

“And what did he, no, they say to your request?”

“No.”

“Of course, they did.”

At this point, Christina has come to sit on the edge of Ruby’s bed.

“There’s something else, that I need to tell you about.” For the first time since she’s known her, Christina looks frightened. “I was angry when they refused to give me the book and I removed Leti’s Mark of Cain.”

“You did what?!” Ruby sits up further in the bed. She would get out of it, but the way that Christina is sitting has her pinned by the sheets. “I’ve only ever asked you for two things Christina, to tell me the truth and not hurt my sister.”

“I know and I haven’t hurt Letitia.”

“But you plan on doing so, for the Book, for your spell, for your immortality?”

Christina hasn’t felt guilty about many things in her life, but not keeping her promise to Ruby makes her feel unworthy of the life she was beginning to build. She doesn’t like the emotion.

“I’ll return the mark to her.”

“You’re damn right you will.” Christina has never seen Ruby so angry and disappointed. It’s a horrible combination to have directed towards her. “When?”

“I have to be close enough to her to place it, it doesn’t travel over space. I’ve never not kept a promise to you Ruby. I’ll put it back.” Christina stands up from the bed. She doesn’t want to give Ruby the opportunity to send more anger her way. “I’m sorry…….sleep well.”

Now how in the hell was she supposed to sleep after that?

The next day found Ruby and Christina at odds, physically and emotionally. Ruby couldn’t believe that Christina had removed Leti’s protection mark. It was that same mark that had protected her when those racist ass cops shot up her house, their house. Ruby had watched in awe and confusion as the bullets bounced off Leti, while Ruby crawled on the floor avoiding holes from taking root in her body. The mark was the thing that allowed Ruby to open up to Christina these past weeks. She didn’t have to worry that Leti would be physically hurt by this magical battle. A magical battle, something she wouldn’t have ever considered possible six months ago. As Ruby tried to figure out what to do, she heard the telephone ring. She didn’t hear a response, which meant the Rebecca had answered.

“Telephone call, Miss,” Rebecca announced at her door.

“Thank you, Rebecca.” Ruby found it easier to maintain Rebecca’s formalness, rather than attempt to engage her. The few times she had tried that tactic, resulted in Rebecca staring at her until Ruby allowed her to take her leave. Ruby walks to the telephone in the hallway. She remembered how impressed she’d been to discover that there were multiple telephones in the house. Now she’d become so accustomed to it, she no longer noticed.

“This is Ruby Baptiste.”

“Ruby, it’s Leti. I need to see you.”

And there she was. No question on how Ruby was doing, if she was safe. Just straight to her wants and needs. This was the person that Ruby was so desperate to protect. Maybe Christina was right, she was stupid.

"I thought I chose my side, that is what you said, right Leti? That’s what you said when you kicked me out of your family. What do you need now?” Whatever it is that Leti needs, it must be big, because Ruby can hear her struggling to hold her tongue.

“I need to see you.”

“I’m busy today.”

“I need to see you at Momma’s grave. It’s important.”

It must have been damned important for Leti to mention Momma. And her grave too, after she had missed the funeral that Ruby had to pay for. The funeral that cost her the best apartment she had ever had. The nice apartment that she had earned with her hard work. Ruby held the receiver away from her for a moment.

“Ruby, are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here. What time do you want to meet?”

Ruby doesn’t know what Leti wants, but she definitely wants something. She decides to wear her new white suit. At the very least she can look good for whatever bullshit Leti is shoveling her way. She takes the Pontiac, her days of pretending that she doesn’t have access to certain things are over.

When she arrives to the cemetery, Leti is kneeled at Eloise’s grave. Leti has picked the perfect time to play the dutiful daughter- when her mother is dead. Leti gives Ruby the same song and dance that she’s been giving her all of her life. This time it’s centered on how Christina needs to be stopped. How Ruby can use her closeness, her relationship to help Leti and Tic. How she can once again sacrifice her happiness for Leti’s. Well Ruby’s had enough sacrifice. Had enough of Leti’s neediness and demands. She’s almost away, almost free until Leti tells her about Christina removing her Mark of Cain. (Ruby doesn’t tell her that she already knows.)

Then Leti begins to tell Ruby about the plan, the plan to strip magic from white people, starting with Christina. How it will protect not only Atticus, but the baby that Leti carries. And there she finds Ruby’s weakness. Leti knows that Ruby can’t turn her back on the innocent life she carries within her. So, Ruby agrees to help stop Christina, agrees in Leti’s eyes to betray the one person in her life who has ever encouraged her to live for her. The millionaire who sits at her feet adorningly as she plays the guitar. The woman who has given her a world she couldn’t imagine and more. Ruby will help stop Christina from obtaining immortality, but not because of Leti and not the way she wants.

Christina decided to give Ruby a wide berth after yesterday’s confrontation. Ruby hadn’t appeared for her magic lesson, which told Christina that she didn’t want to see her. It was all for the best, the equinox was only two days away and she had wasted enough time on emotions and feelings. Ruby probably wouldn’t want to see her after her ascension, there was no way that Letitia wouldn’t be in her ear about Atticus’s death, pointing out how evil she was. She didn’t even want to kill Atticus, if only he would give her the Book!

Just as Christina decided to refocus, Ruby appeared and began her descent into the basement as if nothing had happened yesterday. She looked fetching (when didn’t Ruby look good?) in a white suit with a blue shell underneath. At first, Christina thought that Ruby was simply arriving for her daily magic lesson, as she asked about the spell and looked over her notes. But then something changed or maybe Christina started paying closer attention, because Ruby was looking at her with open interest, a display that was supposed to be coy, but wsa deliberately obvious.

She mentioned their first night together, when they’d both been so hungry, that they had each other on the stairs. She’d stood there, immovable as Christina reached across her body, breast proudly jutted forward, as if she were daring her to brush against them. Telling her that her spell was going to work. Promising that the woman who had felt alone since her mother’s death, now had her. (Christina didn’t discount her time with William, but that was a transactional friendship, she didn’t feel for him what she felt for Ruby.)

And then she didn’t seem to have complete control over her body as her hands cradled Ruby’s face and she gently leaned in, her lips touching hers for the first time. That first taste was like coming home, but Christina had to be sure that this was what Ruby wanted. She pulled away and Ruby’s lips followed, ending in the world’s sweetest nose rub.

Christina looked into Ruby’s eyes to make sure that this what she really wanted. She asked a question that she already knew the answer to but wanted to be confirm before they continued. And then her lips were on Ruby’s again and she was lost. Lost to the basic physical sensation of the softness of Ruby’s lips. Lost to the moment that their tongues touched and began to swirl around, each new taste as if they were re-introducing themselves. Christina was definitely lost when Ruby pulled back, announced, “not down here” grabbed her hand and led her from the basement to the second floor. They’d even stopped to kiss on the stairs, adding a new memory to blush at when the silence and tension between them simmered to the top.

Ruby kept leading, as she ushered Christina into her bedroom. She wanted this to be on her terms in her space, so there wouldn’t be any confusion on what was happening. Christina sat on the bed and watched as Ruby began taking off her suit, jacket first, belt second. Next came the skirt and then the shirt. For the second time in a matter of weeks, Ruby stood before Christina in her undergarments, but this time Christina was still fully dressed.

“Why do you still have so many clothes on,” Ruby asked.

“Just enjoying the view.”

“You’ll be able to do more than enjoy, when you lose those clothes.” Christina has never undressed in less time. She needs Ruby’s help unzipping the back of her jumper, (of all days to wear a fucking jumper!) Soon she’s a scantily clad as Ruby, as they stand facing each other.

Christina walks to Ruby and pulls her into an embrace, as her hands caress Ruby’s body for the first time. She wraps her arms around Christina, somehow bringing their bodies closer together. Ruby feels the dresser at her back, hears her items as they jostle and fall over. The knob slightly sticking her in the back and the possibility of her perfume spilling don’t matter, not as long as she has Christina in her arms and her body is tingling with a bubbling pressure and anticipation.

Christina begins to massage Ruby’s breasts through her bra, and Ruby can’t take anymore. She pushes Christina back towards the bed, removing her bra at the same time. Christina takes the hint and removes hers as well. All that remain now are panties, girdles and garters. Christina makes a motion to remove her panties and Ruby stops her. She doesn’t say a word as she pushes Christina on the bed and slowly begins to remove them, which seem to be smaller than average. As she pulls them down, she sends Christina a questioning look. “French.” “Ah.”

That leaves just the garter belt, which Ruby is debating if Christina should leave on. Christina takes the choice from her, removing both and reaching for Ruby’s girdle.

“I want to feel your skin on my mine, Ruby, nothing in between.” Christina’s mind had accepted that this was actually happening, but she still couldn’t fully accept that Ruby had spent damn near a minute staring at her pussy, while she contemplated if she wanted her garters to stay on. She’d been concerned that once Ruby visually realized that reality of their union, she would want to stop. Instead, Ruby was now discarding her own nylons and panties. She was ever so grateful that Ruby hadn’t decided to wear a long line bra today.

Christina stayed seated as Ruby stood between her legs. Christina’s hands wandered over Ruby’s body in awe, as she gently began to place kisses on her stomach. Ruby felt her ass being massaged, felt Christina’s kisses become more desperate. She pushed her down on the bed and straddled her as she had down before. But this time, she didn’t exactly what to do. Christina could see the questioning in Ruby’s expression and rose on her elbows to wipe it away with a kiss. After a minute, Christina broke the kiss.

“Let me.”

They gently rolled over, with Ruby now on her back and Christina on top of her, her hair falling to the side. She placed her right index finger in her mouth, took it out and began to circle Ruby’s left nipple. She continued slowly because she needed Ruby too see who was doing this to her. Ruby’s eyes followed along as Christina replaced her finger with her mouth. As her tongue danced around her nipple, she used her hands to toy with her right breast. She took turns alternating between the breasts as Ruby’s right hand landed on the back of her head.

“Christina baby,” Christina looks up to catch Ruby’s gaze, “I really love how much you love my breasts, but there are other parts of me that need attending to. Please, now.”

Christina doesn’t need any additional encouragement. She smiles as she gives Ruby’s breasts one last kiss and heads between Ruby’s thighs. Her hands lovingly caress thighs, as it’s her turn to nudge with her nose. The first nudge causes a slight giggle, which will be the last time that Ruby laughs. The second nudge causes a light moan, as it’s accompanied by Christina’s lips pressing kisses on Ruby’s inner thigh. The third nudge causes a deep moan, as it’s accompanied by Christina’s tongue dancing closer and closer to Ruby’s center. Ruby waits for the next nudge, which doesn’t come, because Christina completely replaces her nose with her tongue on her pussy, causing Ruby’s legs to splay in a manner she didn’t think possible. Christina props them back up, by placing her shoulders underneath them as she continues licking.

Ruby’s really trying to pay attention for later, but there’s licking and sucking and it’s happening so fast and yet so slowly. Christina flattens her tongue for maximum coverage and soon her lips make themselves known, becoming a suction cup that binds Ruby’s pussy to them. Ruby temporarily gives up on looking, closing her eyes to envelope all the sensations that have taken her over. Not just the physical ones, but the emotional ones. The ones that make the tongue circling her clit even better, because it belongs to Christina.

Christina moves her sucking to Ruby’s clit, as she feels her hand gently grab the back of her head. Ruby is withering and cursing to herself, at least that’s what she thinks. She can’t hear everything because Ruby’s thighs are tightening around her head. She knows for sure that Ruby is cursing when she inserts two fingers in her and begins to curl them. Between her lips and fingers, Christina knows that Ruby won’t hold on much longer. She keeps her fingers in place but stops sucking. She slides her body up Ruby’s and places her left arm on the side of her.

“Ruby, open your eyes,” she demands.

“Hmm, I can’t, too good.” Ruby places her hands on Christina’s breasts to try to get some kind of leverage.

“Open them.”

Ruby opens her eyes to find Christina’s crystal blue’s staring into her soul.

“Ruby Jean Baptiste, I need to know who this pussy belongs to?”

Ruby is briefly taken aback. Did Christina really just ask her who her pussy belonged to?

“I asked a question Ruby,” Christina adds another finger, “whose pussy is this?” Christina alternates between speeding up and slowing down. She somehow manages to bring her head to Ruby’s breasts and begins sucking again.

Ruby’s mouth opens, first empty of sound, until she moans out, “It’s yours baby, it’s yours Christina.” Christina allows Ruby to cum as she swallows Ruby’s moans into her mouth. She continues to nip at her lips as Ruby comes down. Now it’s her turn to lay on top.

After a few moment’s she rolls to her side and looks at Ruby. “Are you okay,” she asks as she strokes Ruby’s arm. “Fuck,” is all that Ruby can strangle out. Christina takes that as a yes and places a kiss on Ruby’s temple.

Christina felt as if she were in a love spell, as she and Ruby continued to kiss. They ranged from light, barely there touches that ended with nose rubs to long sessions where they traced each other’s lips with their tongues. She was currently giving love bites to Ruby’s jaw when Ruby pulled back her head and looked Christina in the eyes. She continued drawing patterns on Christina’s back, as she had been doing for the last hour. “Christina, we need to talk about the equinox and your plan to sacrifice Atticus.”

Christina sat up in the bed and removed herself from Ruby’s embrace. “So that’s what this was all about. I knew that something was off, that you weren’t coming to me out of your own desire. I thought you were above prostituting yourself for your family.” Even through her anger, the insult felt unnatural on her tongue.

Ruby is temporarily taken aback by the insult. She swallows, sits up, faces Christina and collects herself. “I know that you’re upset, so I’m not going to take that comment to heart. I slept with you because I wanted to. I wanted to feel your body next to mine, I wanted to know what your lips feel like, to know if your mouth tastes like the Lemonheads I know you’ve been eating since yesterday.”

Christina remains silent. “You know that we’ve been moving towards this from the moment you showed up at the Lodge. You were possessive even then. This past week has seen either you chase, and I run, or I chase, and you run. I decided to end the bullshit Christina. To be with you before the chance passed forever.”

“Before I ascend, and you can’t forgive me for killing Atticus.” Christina brings her knees up and wraps her arms around them.

“Before this you is gone forever. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know that if you go through with this, you will never be the same. The Christina that sits at my feet and listens to me sing, that spends a day with me on a sand dune, that hires Negro yardmen because the white one insulted me, the Christina that makes me feel so fucking protected and wanted, that Christina is going to be gone. And I really don’t want her to leave. I don’t want to go back to life without you. I love you.”

Ruby is crying now and much to her own surprise, so is Christina.

“Immortality is my dream Ruby, to experience an eternity of firsts. You want me to just give that up, say never mind?”

“Christina, I spent years dreaming of working at Marshall Fields. I took classes, tried to make myself the perfect candidate to be the first Negro saleswoman. I thought it would never happen, but then you gave me Hillary and not only was working at Fields, I was a manager. And everything thing I thought it would bring me was wrong. I saw how miserable I would have been if they had hired Ruby Baptiste. I spent years working for something I didn’t want once I had it. I know you’re thinking that Marshall Field’s and immortality aren’t the same thing…..tell me this, what are you great plans for your immortal life? What will you do when everyone you know is dead, including me?”

“Until you, that hadn’t been a consideration. I haven’t, hadn’t met anyone that I care about seeing again in this life or another.” Honestly, Christina hasn’t given much thought to what will happen after she ascends. Ruby thinks that she sees a crack in Christina, who for the first time has someone she cares enough about to want stay.

“What is your suggestion for me then, Ruby? To continue to have William conduct my business, in order to be respected? To continue to pretend to be less than, so that men remain comfortable in their ignorance? To follow society’s rules of what a woman is supposed to be? Do?” Christina is close to sneering.

“You know damn well that I don’t want you to do any of that Christina. That day at the Dunes, I asked you if you were tired of pretending. I want you to take on the world as yourself, Christina. I want to watch men grovel at your feet as you wheel your power and magic. And I know that I’m not supposed to feel or say things like that, but with you I can. I love that you love wielding magic. You have no idea how sexy it is, when I see you pick up the phone and the thing that you demanded happens like that,” Ruby says snapping her fingers. “I want to change the world, at least our world right now, Christina, not 400 years into the future. I want you to drop me off at Joanne’s for my appointment, and not have one of those hens open their mouth.”

“I don’t care what anyone thinks when the see us together, Ruby.”

“Because you don’t have to Christina. You don’t have to consider what loving you, what being with you costs me. My family, my community all look at me as if I’m a traitor, because I chose you. And yes, it took me a while to come to terms with that. But when Leti was today, when she was asking me to betray you, I knew that I never could. I choose you Christina, again and again. Again, after you asked me to spy on Lancaster and I was stuck in that closest with that poor man. Again, after your burst out of William’s skin and I discovered the truth. Again, after you came when I called. Tonight, I need for you to choose me. Choose us and not some spell to prove to your dead daddy that your worthy of attention and respect, and love. You don’t have to prove those things to me Christina, because I already know that they’re true.” Ruby takes Christina’s face in her hands. “I think you’re the one that needs convincing that you’re worthy.”

Christina grasps Ruby’s hands as they frame her face and exhales.

“Your mine?”

“I am.”

“And I’m yours?”

“You are and I want the whole world to know it. I’m never leaving, even if you ask me to. None of this makes sense, Christina. I should have run as fast as I could from you, but I kept wanting to be closer. Hell, you should have never been interested in the first place, but you kept pressing closer…. literally. You know you have a problem with personal space, right?” Christina shrugs. “Everything about us says that we’re opposites, but my soul fits right with you Christina. Our souls fit together.”

Christina leans into kiss Ruby. It isn’t one of passion, but instead of comfort.

“I know that you’ve never probably heard these words before, yet followed them, but trust me Christina. Trust that I want to watch you remake the world.”

“No input from you?”

“Oh baby, with a whole lot of input from me. You’ll need a wide range of perspectives.”

“I love you Ruby Baptiste.” She stifles a yawn. “Processing all these emotions is exhausting.”

Christina awoke to Ruby’s left hand stroking her thigh and her right hand playing with her nipple. She smiled and said, “you’ve got quite the appetite, Ms. Baptiste.” Ruby didn’t answer, instead returning the smile and bent down to kiss Christina. Christina moves to take over, but Ruby stops her.

“I want to.”

“You want to what, Ruby?”

“I want to be in charge, I want to make you cum.”

“You do.”

“Christina, I’m not going to be a pillow princess,” she begins kissing Christina’s neck.

“What, how do you….?”

Ruby pauses her kisses for a second and looks at Christina, “Sammy, honey. Sammy.”

Sex with Ruby leading is slower and more tentative. She’s not sure if Christina’s breasts are as sensitive as hers, if they enjoy the attention being paid to them. Christina assures her they do and encourages her as she uses her teeth. Ruby also shows little patience for additional foreplay, deciding to dive straight to Christina’s core. What she lacks in experience, she more than makes up for in enthusiasm. Faster than she thought, Christina finds her clit hardening and climax approaching. She moans her name, “Ruby” and paws at her back as Ruby’s tongue slides among her folds and dirty blond hairs. Ruby slides back up her body, her expression wants to know if she pleased Christina. Christina nods and pulls her down for a kiss, tasting herself on Ruby’s lips.

“I’m sorry that it wasn’t longer, it was my first time you know.”

“It was wonderful, thank you.”

“You know, I practice my songs until they’re perfect. I think I can develop the same philosophy with this.”

Christina takes Ruby’s fingertips and rubs the slight callouses brought on by the guitar strings. She slips two of them her mouth and begins to twirl her tongue around them. Ruby is mesmerized as she uses her fingers to mouth fuck her lover. Christina then takes Ruby’s other hand and places it on her pussy and begins to move her fingers, her hand on top of Ruby’s. Ruby is in awe at how wet Christina is, that she wants more from her. Ruby finds her own pace and Christina uses her hands to bring Ruby’s face to hers, Ruby’s fingers dropping from her mouth. They aren’t kissing, but both of their mouths are open as Christina chases another orgasm that Ruby is proud to provide. As Christina finishes, she shoves her tongue back into Ruby’s mouth, who meets it with her own. They collapse in the bed, hard breaths fill the air as their bodies are covered by a light sheen. Christina pulls the sheet up and they fall into slumber.

When Christina next wakes, she is alone. Ruby has made sure to tuck the sheet around her and her robe is gone. For a brief moment, she fears that Ruby has left her and taken her spell to Leti. The fearful thought disappears as fast as it appeared. Christina knows that Ruby loves her, that she has chosen her. Ruby appears at the doorway with her hand behind her back.

“Look who’s awake. I’ve got something for you.” Ruby presents her gift, the last piece of lemon pound cake. Christina sits up and claps her hands. Ruby gets back in the bed and begins to feed Christina from the plate. Christina had never been so happy in her life. She was naked in bed with the love of her life, eating cake. “Wait,” Ruby says leaning towards Christina. “You’ve got something on your face.” Instead of using the napkin or her thumb, she decides on her tongue to wipe the crumb. “Got it.”

Ruby awakenes to find Christina in the hallway, using the telephone. She returns and announces, “I thought you might be hungry, so I contacted Jebediah to bring food. I can’t seem to find Rebecca. In line with new experiences, I requested a pizza.”

“I dismissed Rebecca and told her that she would be contacted when it was time to return. Who is Jebediah? You’ve never had pizza?”

“No, I’ve never tasted pizza. Jebediah is Rebecca’s husband and he does certain tasks for me.”

“I didn’t know Rebecca has a husband.”

“Rebecca and Jebediah are from the village built around Ardham. They were promised to others but were caught together in a barn. The village elders banished them, so I offered them positions here. If you choose to keep them on, we can have a meeting where you can get to know them better.”

“Christina, this is still your house. I’m not here to fire your employees. And that was very nice of you to provide them with employment and an opportunity to stay together.”

“This isn’t my house, Ruby at least not anymore.” Ruby is confused. “As I prepared for my spell, I didn’t worry solely about Atticus’s death, but my own. I didn’t want to leave you unprotected, if I didn’t return or worse, you didn’t want to see me again. The house is yours Ruby, along with a small sum to maintain it and yourself. I always want to ensure that you are free to do whatever you want. This is your permanent space, forever how long you want it to be.”

Ruby shakes her head and blows. “Every time I think you can’t dig any deeper into my heart, you do. Thank you isn’t enough, but it’s all I have. Thank you, baby.”

The pizza arrives and it feels as if they inhale it, as they sit at the kitchen table in their robes. Christina seems to have an icebox full of Coca-Cola, which Ruby appreciates. She then realizes that’s it her icebox.

“All of things in the house are mine, as well?”

“Outside of my personal items, yes.”

“I can kick you out if I decide?”

Christina stops chewing and looks at Ruby. “Yes, if you desire.”

“Breathe, Christina. When I told you that you could never get rid of me, I meant it both ways. But you should make sure to stay on my good side. I run a tight ship.”

“How does one stay on your good side?”

“I’ve got several ideas that we’ll start working on a little later.

Ruby and Christina spent the rest of the night in the bed, with Ruby proving herself to be as apt a student in Christina’s body as she was in magic. The next morning, Christina was awakened to Ruby’s voice on the hall telephone.

“We’re not coming Leti. I don’t care what you thought I agreed to yesterday. Christina isn’t coming, Atticus is safe.” Christina can hear Ruby pausing as Leti rambles on. “What you need to focus on is the baby you’re carrying.” Ruby now moves the receiver away from her ear, as Leti goes on about how dangerous Christina is and how Ruby needs to leave and come home. “If you believe that she’s that evil, why did you ask for my help? You thought nothing of putting me in what you think is a dangerous position. Christina isn’t going to hurt me, and I am home. You worry about your house Leti, and I’ll worry about mine. Goodbye.”

Ruby walks back into her bedroom. Christina looks at her wide-eyed.

“As the owner of this house, I want make a change.”

“Yes.”

“We need to combine bedrooms, having two separate ones isn’t a good use of space.”

The day was spent making love and practicing magic (Ruby was sure she saw real fireworks as she climaxed) and learning more about each other. The started out sharing the bathtub together, with Ruby washing Christina’s back for a change. Christina was pleased to learn of Ruby’s chess acumen as the played several games in the library. When asked how she’d learn how to play, Ruby explained that secretarial and accounting weren’t the only Negro self-improvement classes she had taken. Christina was surprised to find herself enthralled by the trials and tribulations of the characters on, “The Guiding Light.” More calls were made to Jebediah for food, this time Chinese, which Christina had eaten before. Old Ruby would have settled for ordering near the house, but new Ruby demanded that they order from her favorite place in Chinatown. Their night was filled with music and dancing, both slow and fast.

The Autumnal Equinox arrived the next day. Although she didn’t show any outward signs of regret, Ruby knew that Christina would be thinking of what was supposed to be. She wrapped her arms around her from the back and asked if she were okay. Christina assured her that she was, but that she wouldn’t mind being distracted. That morning they had another first, as Christina straddled Ruby’s face in bed. As she fucked her with her tongue, Christina was thankful that Ruby was such a quick learner.

They spent the afternoon, after The Guiding Light ended, at the Garfield Park Conservatory. They managed not to descend into kisses in the roses, but they didn’t hide that they were together. One man appeared to set out to confront them, but the looks in both of their eyes convinced him to do otherwise.

They arrived back home, two hours before the moon would be at its highest, the moment that Christina would have become immortal. Ruby didn’t complain as Christina headed towards the basement. She knew that changing your goals, you reason for being in life was difficult. Christina needed the time alone. Ruby gave her fifty good minutes of alone time, before she called her upstairs.

In her hands she held an apron, matching the one that she was already wearing.

“You want me to learn to cook tonight?”

“Bake, Christina, you’re going to learn how to bake. And I don’t want you to get anything on that beautiful outfit, so you need to take it off.” Christina looked at Ruby and realized that outside of the apron, she was naked. She quickly spoke a glamour over the windows and peeled off her outfit. Ruby walked over and slipped the apron over Christina. She reached around Christina, making sure to linger on her ass in and tied the apron. “Now put your shoes back on.”

Christina wasn’t sure how she was supposed to focus on baking a cake when they were both naked in the kitchen, but she tried. Tried to pay attention as Ruby mixed flour and vanilla flavoring. Tried to pay attention as she poured it in the cake mold. She was really trying to pay attention as Ruby made the icing, particularly when Ruby let her lick her finger to taste it.

However, all her attention fell to the side when Ruby lifted her and placed the counter, next to the cooling cake.

“Cake baking is a lot like magic. Intention, location and body. Tell me Christina, have you ever had your lover eat you out in the kitchen, while you had your favorite cake? Ruby didn’t give Christina a chance to answer, as she dove under the apron.

“No, it’s my first time,” Christina answered as the moon sparkled down on them.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I know that I need to clean some things up, but if I spent all of my time stressing over style rules, this would have never been published. Shoutout to the dyslexic English majors of the world. I plan on continuing Ruby and Christina's adventures. In the very least, I'll be entertained.

**Author's Note:**

> Your thoughts are appreciated.


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